Politics of India

India

Republic of India A federal republic with a parliamentary system of government capital: New Delhi

2nd most populous nation Population: over 1 1/4 billion Growing at 1.2% a year (vs. 0.4% in China) More than a quarter aged 14 or younger Most Indians aged 28 or younger

A nation of diversity: languages Constitution lists 14 official “principal languages” English Hindi (41%)

A nation of diversity: religions Hindu (~80%) Muslim (~14%) Christian, Sikh, etc. all major religions in the world are present one of the major causes of conflict religion can become a political vehicle for social movement

Brief history One of the world’s oldest civilizations 5,000 years foreign incursions Aryans, Arabs, Turks, Portugal, France, and Britain from 1,500 B.C. to 19th Century A.D.

190 years of British colonial rule Informal colonial rule through the British East India Company (1750s-1850s) formal colonial rule after the Mutiny rebellion of 1857

Struggle for independence Indian National Congress was formed in 1885 non-violent resistance to colonial rule Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) transformed INC unity within diversity non-cooperation movement Nehru (1889-1964)

Independence & partition Division of the subcontinent (1947) India Pakistan

Republic of India Prime Minister Nehru (1947-1964) His daughter (Indira Gandhi) as Prime Minister (1966-1977, 1980-1984)

Nehru’s legacies His grandson His granddaughter-in-law Rajiv Gandhi Prime Minister (1984-1989) His granddaughter-in-law Sonja Gandhi Congress party president (1999 - )

World’s largest democracy Resilient democratic institutions, processes, and legitimacy except 1975-1977 Indira Gandhi declared national emergency politics in India is characterized by governments of precarious coalitions weakened political institutions political activism along ethnic lines

A federal system 28 states and 6 centrally administered Union Territories 2 states are partially claimed by Pakistan and China

Federal system Relatively centralized federal government controls the most essential government functions defense foreign policy taxation public expenditures economic (industrial) planning

The legislature Parliamentary system of government the executive authority is responsible to the Parliament

The legislature bicameral Parliament Rajya Sabha (Council of States) Lok Sabha (House of the People)

Elections to Lok Sabha Vote share of 3 major political parties

Prime Minister Leader of the majority party leader in Lok Sabha becomes the prime minister prime minister nominates a cabinet members of Parliament in the ruling coalition Council of Ministers effective power is concentrated in the office of the prime minister where most of the important policies originate

Prime Ministers of India 38 years in the Nehru-Gandhi family more and more rapid turnover until 1998

Economic development Under Prime Minister Nehru’s rule private property and government guidance powerful planning commission government rules and regulations opportunities and incentives for corruption self-sufficiency domestic sector was protected from foreign competition protected industries became inefficient

Economic development The “green revolution” in agriculture new agricultural strategy in late 1960s seeds, fertilizer, and irrigation India became self-sufficient in food

Economic development state-led economic development government-planned private economy substantial industrial base

Economic liberalization Dissatisfaction with the relatively slow economic growth dismantle controls over private sector further integrate into global economy Financial crisis in early 1990s emergency funds from IMF & World Bank conditional on economic liberalization reduce government budget deficit selling government shares in public enterprises

Foreign direct investment

Economic liberalization India has large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language India is a major exporter of software services and software workers